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Table of Contents

Hardware Resource

Workstation Layout

The ME480 portable workstation kit contains everything you need to complete the lab exercises for the course. As shipped, it should look something like this:

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Workstation Connectors

While every precaution has been taken to ensure that the ME480 workstation will be robust enough for you to use all semester, it is important that you do not place undue strain on the cable wires. If you must remove a connector from one of the ports on the workstation, pull the connector out gently by grasping the plastic housing, and do NOT pull on the wires.

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Workstation Breadboard

The workstation comes with a "breadboard" that will allow you to prototype your lab circuits.

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Powering the Breadboard

In order for the breadboard's rightmost red and blue vertical "buses" to offer 5V and GND respectively, ensure that the breadboard power jumpers are installed as shown below. image-3.png

Be sure that you connect 5V to the red bus, and GND to the blue bus.

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Breadboard Troubleshooting

  • Some of the breadboard holes can have a bad connection after repeated use. Try and adjacent hole in the same row to see if the connection can be made.
  • It is easy to think you have 2 pins/wires in the same row only to realize they are one row off. Confirm your common connections are in the same row and not "jumping" the gap.
  • If wires are connected to binding posts, make sure the wire is in contact with the post. Sometimes the insulation prevents the wire from making electrical contact with the post

Workstation Inertia Module

The ME480 workstation is convertible so that you can run many different types of lab experiments using a common set of parts. In order to remove the inertia module, perhaps to set the workstation up as a gate system as in Lab 1, you can follow these steps:

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Workstation Gate Module

For some early labs and all Zumo projects, you will need to configure the ME480 workstation as a gate. To do this, follow the steps below.

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Workstation LCD Screen

The LCD screen on your workstation is identical to the LCD screen on your zumo robot and uses the same libraries. You can find the detailed documentation for programming the display in the zumo aruindo library documentation.

The display can show 8 columns and 2 rows of characters.

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The example below will display what is shown on the screen above and the comments detail how to setup code to generate your own displays.

#include <LiquidCrystal.h> //This loads the library with LDC commands

//Here is the link to the complete LCD documentation for the display
//It is the same library you'll use for your zumo robot!
//https://pololu.github.io/zumo-32u4-arduino-library/class_zumo32_u4_l_c_d.html

// Assign the pins that will communication with the LCD display
int lcd_rs_pin = 14;
int lcd_en_pin = 15;
int lcd_db4_pin = 16;
int lcd_db5_pin = 17;
int lcd_db6_pin = 18;
int lcd_db7_pin = 19;

// Initialize the library with the numbers of the interface pins
// This is a command that comes as part of the library added above
LiquidCrystal LCD(lcd_rs_pin, lcd_en_pin, lcd_db4_pin, lcd_db5_pin, lcd_db6_pin, lcd_db7_pin);

//setup function runs once
void setup(){
// set up the LCD's number of columns and rows:
LCD.begin(8, 2); 
}

//this function runs over and over forever!
void loop(){

  LCD.clear(); //clear the display each time
  LCD.print("Hello"); // this will print in the top left

  // this positions the curser at the start of the second row
  LCD.setCursor(0,1);
  LCD.print("NUM: ");
  //if you have more than one print statement 
  //it will just continue printing on the same line.
  LCD.print(12); 

  //Where possible, delaying the loop will reduce LCD flickering
  delay(100);  //delay 100 miliseconds
}

Workstation Motor Driver: The DRV8837 Chip

The DRV8837 H-bridge chip that is incorporated into the Workstation does the job of an H-Bridge ciruit that you were introduced to in LAB 1. By setting pins 6 and 8 on the workstation Arduino MEGA to either HIGH or LOW you can control the direction of the motor. Both pin 6 and 8 are capable of outputing a PWM signal so you can use that capability to also control the speed of the motor as discussed in Lab 1.

Direction Pin 6 Pin 8
FORWARD HIGH or PWM LOW
REVERSE LOW HIGH or PWM
UNPOWERED LOW LOW

Interested in more details? You can find the datasheet for the chip here.

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Workstation Arduino Mega Pin Mapping

The diagram below shows the INTERNAL connections already made on your workstation and the EXTERNAL connections you can make.

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Handheld Multimeter

You will use the Klein Tools Hand Held Multimeter. You can find details of its specifications and operation in the Manual.

Multimeter Quick Reference

To measure DC Voltage Press:

To measure resistance press:

To check continuity (confirm two points are electrically connected)